Chapter 8: A Kind of Magic

 

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. It is just science that we don’t understand yet”

-Imperium Genesis Vol. 4 – On Magick.

 

  The freezing winds battered mercilessly against the burnt remains of the village, howling powerfully with a mournful cry. The weather had improved just slightly by the morning, but now at noon, the dark clouds threatened to drop their rain once again, though the heavens decided against it for the time being. It seemed fitting for a funeral to be held on a cold, windy day. Appropriate.

  Rudo kept digging a large pit that would soon serve as a grave for his new companion’s late mentor. He put his powerful legs, and sharp claws to great use to quickly remove massive amounts of dirt from the damp, compact highland soil with breathtaking ease. No wonder why the imperials wanted him as a slave.

  Meanwhile, Nina felt torn. On one hand, watching Verkan’s body lying just a few feet away wounded her. On the other hand, she had a difficult time trying to hide her admiration for her new friend’s physical prowess. Rudo and that inhuman strength of his made short work of any endeavor he undertook. If only he wasn’t so reckless. Or hideous. She closed her eyes, thinking briefly about her savior being a valiant, dashing knight instead of the not-at-all appealing beast, but her recent encounter with the barbaric Northmen quickly came to mind, bringing a deep feeling of utter revulsion. What the hell am I thinking?! Those stupid books really rub off on me! She felt increasingly hopeful about the future, nevertheless. After all, together, they just accomplished the impossible: beating a wizard in combat.

  But what was with this kind of magic this wizard wielded? She thought. Nina kept thinking about it while simultaneously marveling at the exquisitely polished metal frame of the mage’s spellcaster that gleamed sharply with a dark bluish hue. Just a few minutes ago, she dreaded even touching the contraption, fearing her hand would fall off or something of the like. However, she finally managed to hold it after Rudo demonstrated that the device was perfectly safe, and only goes off on command.

  Speaking of which, Nina couldn’t help but feel a profound respect for it, despite Rudo reassuring her several times that the weapon was not magical in nature. She could only stare astonished at the appeal and extraordinary beauty of such a magnificently crafted piece of mechanical engineering. It looked like it was made of several parts, all of them fitting seamlessly with each other, leaving no noticeable gaps in between.

  The grips were made of gorgeous ivory with a strange-looking design engraved into it, and screwed firmly into an extension of the frame, at an angle that provided the hand with easy access to all the controls. To ready the device, she just needed to pull the main lever at the reach of her thumb, which proved effortless even for her petite hands. That action also rotated the entire mechanism, indexing each chamber with the barrel in perfect alignment. She could then detonate each chamber, each one holding a short metallic cylinder containing a powerful spell inside, with the single press of a trigger, at the reach of her index finger.

  She contemplated for a moment the possible repercussions that such a formidable artifact could have in battle. It allowed anyone with the knowledge of how to operate it, including an otherwise helpless teenage girl, to put down even the most experienced warrior with the ease of simply aiming the device, and the pull of a small lever. The mechanism allows repeating the process in quick succession until all the chambers have been depleted, mowing down as many foes as the storage capacity allowed. And after witnessing its power firsthand, she was certain it could also defeat even the heaviest armor.

  Such power! Within reach of the hand! It’s terrifying! This is indeed a formidable weapon!

 

  It is diabolical.

 

  And to think that Rudo dodged those blasts with that breathtaking speed of his and that the mage could still outsmart, and outmaneuver him, despite that. It’s still hard to believe. Rudo, the mage, and she too, could very well be part of some grand fantastic tale like in those books she used to read. But this is real, Nina, and people are dying.

  Rudo interrupted her thoughts when he gently grabbed Verkan’s body by the shoulders and dragged him toward the hole he had just dug. Nina instantly jumped from the stone she sat over and hurried to help him. Even though Rudo could carry Verkan’s remains effortlessly, she insisted on helping. Together, they gently placed the corpse in the grave. She couldn’t help but tear up again, trying her hardest to fight the tears back, despite knowing it would be a lost battle. The sight of her crying was one that her late mentor disliked the most, that was the reason why he always went to extreme lengths to make her laugh and cheer her up with that unending repertoire of quips and jokes of his.

  Nina took the sword they found next to Verkan, placing it on top of his body to be buried with. He looked serene, at peace, with a hint of a smile on his face that only made her want to cry even more. She then grabbed a handful of dirt from the rather large pile, tossing it over his corpse, giving Rudo the clue to finally bury him, which he promptly did, using his legs to swiftly fill the grave. She collapsed on her knees, finally allowing herself to cry, weeping powerfully if silently as she let it all out, and rocking Rudo to the core, which remained still, completely at a loss of what to say or do to try at least to alleviate her pain.

  Her crying mellowed after a few minutes. She clasped her hands together for one last prayer:

 

“Merciful Father, creator of all,

Please, open your arms and receive this soul,

Forgive all the sins he might have committed in life,

And guide him back to the afterlife,

Where his ancestors wait for him,

In the Fields of Prydain,

Where he shall live forever,”

 

“Selah,”

 

  They remained silent for what seemed an eternity until Nina broke the silence.

-“You know… Verkan said he used to be a warrior in his youth… but I only knew him as a caring, honest, and selfless man. He enjoyed teasing me and making people laugh! He had a talent for it! Sometimes, he would get me so flustered that I couldn’t stand the sight of him for days! But he always meant well,”

-“He wasn’t only my teacher, he was my friend! My only friend… I never got along with the other kids. He ended up closer to me than even my father! He couldn’t live a hero’s life but he died a hero’s death, giving up his own life to save the life of another…”

-“Goodbye, Verkan. I’m going to miss you,”

  Nina stood up, having found some much-needed closure, feeling relieved from at least some of the load over her shoulders. She turned, giving Rudo the warmest of smiles, taking one of his oversized hands with both of hers as thanks for helping her, which took Rudo completely off-guard. He froze. He wasn’t prepared for such a reaction from her. Her gloved hands stroking his, her sky-blue eyes glancing through his own, or even her soft-looking lips twinkling made him feel warm, and fuzzy, making his heart rate spike. What is this feeling?! He had never experienced anything like this before. However, even if he didn’t dare to say it out loud, it also made him strangely comfortable. It was the first time he saw her smiling like this since the two of them met and boy…

 

  It was a sight to behold!

 

  But their brief moment was cut short by the distant groaning from the wizard they previously defeated, reminding them of their current task. Nina’s smile instantly vanished, being replaced by a frown that looked so foreign on her. She let go of his hand, clenching her own pair into tiny fists, looking in the mage’s direction. A gut-clenching feeling took over her heart.

-“There is only one thing left to do. What do you suggest to do with him?” 

-“You defeated him! You decide!” Rudo replied.

-“I was afraid you were going to say that! I’m not very good at making decisions!” Nina said nervously, taking a deep breath before asking. -“Should we get rid of him?”

-“I don’t really like kicking people while they’re down, but I’ll do it if it makes you feel better,”

-“I need to ask him a few questions first. Could you… Could you please come with me? I’m scared,”

-“Sure,”

  She then began walking to where the mage was laying, just a few yards away, her heart filled with a broad mix of feelings making a knot in her stomach, threatening to force their way out at any moment. She felt terrified of the imminent face-off, despite him being restrained, and stripped from his weapons. Still, he emitted a frightening aura that was impossible to ignore.

  Nina hated any sort of confrontation or just talking with strangers. Deep in her heart, she loathed facing Verkan’s murderer. But as much as she desperately wanted to just run away leaving everything behind, she needed answers. If this mage troubled himself with coming all the way here in the middle of the fucking highlands, looking specifically for her, there ought to be a reason.

  She took a deep breath, feeling cold sweat running down her face and hands, inside her leather gloves, her heart pounding harder and harder in dreadful anticipation. She took both of the mage’s weapons, buckling them on her back between her leather belt and her body, just in case the mage could trigger them somehow. She took another deep breath to calm down and steel herself, still apprehensive about facing the mage, although knowing Rudo had her back definitely helped, giving her some much-needed reassurance.

  The mage mumbled gibberish as he gradually awakened from the blunt-object-induced slumber courtesy of Nina, after drifting back and forth trying to regain his senses. He shook his head, opening his eyes, finding the world around him being a blurry mess at first, but steadily turning clearer, finally meeting both the girl and her dragon pet staring down at him. Shit! He tried to break free, finding himself firmly tied, unable to move, stripped from his weapons, and completely at their mercy. He soon realized his predicament.

 

  Boy… this is gonna suck.

 

  Nina slowly extended her arm toward his face, trying to remove his mask to see the man hiding behind it, but a dreadful feeling in her heart made her waver, promptly deciding against it. However, Rudo wasn’t frightened in the slightest, and quickly took matters into his own hands, ripping the piece of cloth covering the lower half of the mage’s face. Nina gasped loudly at the sudden reveal, completely astonished. She was still cautious about the wizard’s magic, and Rudo’s boldness shocked her. It was clear that he wasn’t the superstitious type.

  But what left her completely astonished was the man behind the mask. The mage gave her a stern look when they locked eyes for the briefest of instants before she look away to study the rest of his face. He looked rugged, seasoned, perhaps in his mid-thirties, and his clear emerald-green eyes stared back at her with frightening intensity. His sharp facial features complemented his tall, muscular frame, and his dark-grey short spiky hair and bold, square jawline with gritty-looking stubble quickly gave away his foreign origins.

  Damn it! She cursed internally. First the accursed Northmen, and now the mage! Why do the bad people always have to look SO damn good?! The only hideous-looking one is the dragon helping me! She sighed loudly, wondering if this entire ordeal was but a well-deserved punishment for her past misbehaviors, and not-so-pure thoughts, but most especially, for reading those forbidden books she enjoyed so much.

 

  It serves me right. I’ve been such a jerk.

 

-“Can you hear me, wizard?!” Nina asked, shaking her head to get rid of the silly thoughts and concentrate on the current task, trying her hardest to keep her composure. Even tied and beaten, he still proved intimidating.

-“Ugh! My head...” he moaned.

-“That's not the only part that’ll hurt you if you don't answer my questions!” she threatened, glancing at Rudo, to check if he had her back. He nodded in return, giving her the reassurance she needed.

  You got this, Nina!

-“Seems I underestimated you, little priestess. I didn’t think you could pull that off,” he replied.

-“Tell me your name, wizard!”

-“It is really that important?”

-“It is for me!” she insisted.

-“Alright, folk calls me White Feather, you know, for the feather in my hat I suppose, but Mage is fine, for short,”

-“What do you want from me?!”

-“Why would you want to know?” he asked back.

-“Don’t try your little tricks on me, wizard! I ask the questions here!” Nina countered, visibly upset. Damn it! She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to calm down. Her restraint ran extremely low already. She tried her hardest to keep her cool in his presence. -“Why are you after me?! Respond!”

  To say that Nina felt pissed was a giant understatement. By this point, White Feather realized that the little priestess facing him meant serious business. It was evident that both she and that dragon were in league. Trying to put them against each other would be pointless.

  A change of course is needed. He thought. He experienced the dragon’s unnatural strength and what he was capable of firsthand. It seemed he had a soft spot for her, and she could simply ask him to put an early end to his life. He sighed, deciding it was probably in his best interests to abide by her rules if only this time. That is if he really wanted to get away in one piece, of course.

-“I’ll answer your questions, girly, on the condition that I won’t be harmed,”

-“That will depend entirely on your responses, wizard!” Nina said.

-“Alright then,” he said, bracing for what was about to come. He took a brief look around, watching the destruction the Northmen brought. -“First, I'm only accountable for these eight men your dragon just beat! And second, I’m just doing my job!”

-“Your job?!” she countered, her blood boiling. -“What do you mean by ‘your job’?! The Northmen, they tried to...” She paused; taking yet another deep breath to calm down, recalling the harrowing events from last night, unable to even finish the sentence. Nina could barely keep herself together, as the nightmarish memories flashed before her eyes. Facing the wizard was hard enough on its own and his elusive responses didn’t help at all. Still, she found the strength to continue. -“…they tried to rape me last night!” she growled through the knot in her throat.

-“Do I look like a Nord to you?” he asked, although her face quickly clued him in that wasn't the response she expected to hear. -“I’m not with the Northmen! What they did or tried is their business, not mine! I handpicked these eight specifically because they were the best of the bunch!”

-“Those who tried to… take advantage of you must have been someone else's,” he said with a much more careful tone.

-“Someone else's?!”

-“Did you think I was the only one looking for you?!”

-“Then who send you?!” she demanded.

-“Nobody sent me, girly! Someone put a fat bounty on you!”

 

  What?!

 

  His response shocked Nina. -“A-A bounty?!” she dared to ask, turning towards Rudo, who shrug in return, looking confused.

-“That's right! That means there is a reward, which means I'm not the only one interested, which means there are also others after you,”

-“Who else is looking for me?!”

-“How could I possibly know?! But my guess would be, probably every ‘adventurer’ in Midland. They gave an accurate description, and they knew your approximate location, so others are probably closing in as we speak. I wouldn't trust anyone if I were you”

  Her heart sank. Shit! Shit! Shit! This is bad! Think Nina, think! What should I do?! What should I do?! She began giving in to despair but watching Rudo remains tall, and collected, even though it was just by sheer ignorance, gave her the courage she desperately needed. Control yourself, girl! Stay cool! But as much as she hated to admit it, the mage was right. -“What does the bounty say?!” she demanded.

-“Look into my pockets,”

  Nina extended her arm hesitantly, shaking violently as dread took over her heart, not daring to even touch the mage, this time, however, not so much for fear of some curse befalling her but for what answers she would find. But as terrifying as Nina felt, she craved answers. She steeled herself, searching through his leather bandoliers, looking inside its many tiny pockets, finding an assortment of strange-looking equipment, among other less-important things. Finally, she located a tiny scroll sealed with an elegant red decal, frantically unscrolling it to read it. What in hell?! Her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

-“One thousand gold marks! That’s insane!”

-“That's a hefty lot of money if you ask me, just for taking a little girl back to Dawnfall. It seemed easy enough, or so I thought,”

-“Dawnfall?! Why there?!” Nina asked again.

-“It’s where everyone gathers lately, girly. The closest to a capital this dump yard has,”

  Nina recalled passing through Dawnfall briefly when she was still a child. Perhaps too briefly to see anything but the city docks before sailing to the Imperial continent. A huge urban and commercial center, it was built around a strategically important port after the war, located in the southeast, on the bay watching over the Inner Sea. Although, in theory, it was part of Clan Malcroft’s vast territories, in practice, thanks to the Concordat of Midland, it was completely autonomous.

-“Are you done with him?” Rudo asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  She couldn’t reply, fully aware that when the interrogation finished she would have to choose whether to let the mage live, or ask Rudo to kill him. The mere idea made her sick of the stomach, as much as she wanted justice to be served, was she really willing to kill?

-“Before you get rid of me, girly. Would you be so kind to send something for me back to Teberas?” the mage asked, snapping her out of her trance back to the real world. -“I need to send something to the Empire, the Imperial College to be precise,”

-“Imperial College?! What’s your deal with them?!” she countered. First, he mentioned Teberas, the Imperial capital, now he also named the Imperial College. Why in hell would such a prestigious institution get involved with bounty hunters? Maybe the wizard was just rambling around. Maybe it was one of his tricks. Still, curiosity got the better of her. She had to know.

-“I teach there, girly. Besides occasional… bounty hunting I’m also a professor, despite don’t looking like your typical scholar,”

-“You certainly don’t! But even if that’s true, what’s your field then?”

-“Alchemy, also Engineering, and Metallurgy among others. As you can see, I’m a multidisciplinary scholar. There is a bunch of people that’ll be… upset about my absence. I'd like to let them know about my predicament… Unless you let me go, of course,”

-“Why would I do that?!” she replied, aggrieved. The nerve he has!

-“Because I’m just an adventurer, I hold nothing personal against you or your pet. I’m just doing my job,”

-“Well, you just killed my best friend, wizard, so for me is damn personal!” she countered fiercely, clenching her fists.

-“If that’s how you feel, then finish this already!” he dared to say. He had vast experience dealing with all sorts of people; from other ‘adventurers’ to overly cautious nobles, and even Kings and would-be conquerors. Reading a teenage girl was a piece of cake. He saw her previous steel resolution wavering through the questioning despite her best efforts to keep a harsh façade. That dragon ‘Rudo’ as she called him, limited itself to listening, and not much else.

-“Maybe I should! After what you’ve done to Verkan!”

-“I did what I had to do! The old man fought bravely, and he had an honorable death. Don’t people here crave that?! If I hadn’t ended him, the Northmen would have! They would’ve taken their sweet time butchering him and now you wouldn’t have a body to bury! I did him a favor!” he countered. That was the last thing Nina wanted to hear but he was convinced he had her under his thumb by this point. He was absolutely sure that she would only resort to killing him if she had no other choice. You ain’t got the nerve, girly.

  But the sight of her face distorted by weeping, instead of one full of rage as he had expected moved something in his heart, suddenly feeling a tiny bit of sympathy for her. Damn it! White Feather regretted his previous words, speaking again with a much tender tone.

-“If it makes you feel better, he was valiant to the very end. I gave him a quick, painless death,”

  Nina wiped her face with what was left of her sleeves, her vision blurred by tears, her jaw trembling, and suddenly finding it impossible to even speak coherently. She looked away, letting out a powerful groan, feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Finally, Nina took a deep breath to calm down after a full minute of whimpering, looking at him straight in the eyes. -“What I’m supposed to respond, Mage?! Thank you?! What would you do in my place?!”

  That made him recoil. White Feather hesitated for a moment after being put under the spotlight. It was evident that she didn’t grow under the highland culture. Ironic. A clanner would actually thank me for that. She wouldn’t be familiar with the highlanders’ Code of Honor then. A priestess in the highlands that isn’t a clanner? Interesting. What’s your story then, girly? He sighed. He would probably need to come clear if he wanted to persuade her.

-“I can’t respond to that either,”

  What is she doing here then? Normally, he wouldn’t give a damn about either targets, or clients, but it wasn’t often that he found himself on the receiving end of the questioning. This time, however, he would have to abide by her rules. -“Listen, I really didn’t come all the way here just to spite you, or the old man for that matter. It was just business,”

-“It’s easy for you to say that!”

  He didn’t reply, just rolling his eyes in response. Nina kept looking through his belongings, finding a little gold medallion engraved with a complex design that she recognized immediately.

-“Why do you have an Imperial Seal?!”

-“Because I’m an Imperial citizen, girly! Why else?!”

  Nina gasped, her eyes widening in shock. White Feather realized, much to his relief that he could capitalize on it.

-“Do you realize what will happen if the Empire finds out one of their citizens was killed?! In the middle of the Highlands, no less?!”

-“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said after Nina failed to reply. She cursed. Girl! This is big! If earlier she felt torn between killing him and doing the right thing, now she couldn’t afford to kill him, despite really, really wanting to.

-“You leave me with few other choices, Mage!”

-“I’ll make it easier for you, girly. You can take me with you to the nearest town as your prisoner, I’ll be held by the clansmen. Then you can file a formal complaint to the nearest Adventurer’s Guild office if that pleases you,”

-“You want me to send a letter and wait for weeks for a reply?! I’ll rather wait for Lord Nero than face the Imperial bureaucracy!”

-“But you could lift the reward that way, and your troubles with it,” he explained.

-“Perhaps! But how would that help me against the Northmen?! I might just dig my own grave for when they return!” she countered fiercely.

-“Looks like we can’t reach a middle ground,”

  Indeed, they couldn’t. Nina closed her eyes, her blood boiling, and her breathing laborious, still reluctant to give in to her desire for justice. Or is it vengeance? Am I really pondering about killing him?! She definitely wanted to, no doubt about that. But it would still be the same in the eyes of the Gods, even if she didn’t deal the killing blow. But even if they got rid of him, the Northmen were still on the loose, and there were also other ‘adventurers’ looking for her. And with all that in mind, would it really be worth it to stain her hands with blood?

  Just thinking about it made her sick. How would I feel after killing him?! She couldn’t even imagine it, but she would rather don’t have that sickening feeling in her heart. Damn it! How can anyone even live with this?! I haven’t even done anything and I feel this bad already!

 

  Verkan wouldn’t approve! This isn’t right! He wouldn’t want this!

 

-“So, how it’s gonna be? Are you ready for your vengeance?” he said, interrupting her thoughts, taking Nina with her guard down. She wasn’t ready, neither for such a bold statement nor to strike him down. She sighed, his words echoing through her head. Vengeance. Verkan would’ve wanted justice, not vengeance!

-“That won't be necessary,” Nina said. The mage raised an eyebrow in response. -“I have decided I'm not going to kill you, Mage, but I will take these contraptions of yours, and leave you here, tied. I won’t be taking any chances,”

-“I've read there is a Nord tradition that says ‘You keep what you take’ Am I right? I’m pretty sure Lord Nero will want to have a few words with you about what happened here. I'll leave your fate up to him,”

-“That could take days. I personally arranged a diversion to keep him busy elsewhere,” White Feather replied.

-“Then I hope you have had a good breakfast!”

-“That’s not the issue, girly! The real issue is who’s gonna come first. Other adventurers? The Northmen? Or your precious Lord? Whose you’re gonna bet to?! I don’t think I could persuade the Northmen, and other adventurers won’t share the reward. Are you willing to risk your neck to find it out? If I were you, I would get the hell away from here as fast as possible,”

  The nerve he has! But he’s damn right, girl! There’s no guarantee that Lord Nero will come anytime soon. There wasn’t much to ponder about; as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Again. And with the Northmen lurking around it was simply too risky to stay in a single place. They couldn’t afford to take him with them either.

-“We better go, Nina,” Rudo interrupted.

-“Yeah, tie him to the well, please,”

  Rudo dragged him to the well in the middle of the plaza, tying him tightly against one of its wooden shafts using the well’s own stretch of rope. The weather had improved just slightly since the morning, but the thick layer of grey clouds allowed passing just the most stubborn sun rays. A sudden gust of icy-cold wind let them know, however, that it wouldn’t remain as pleasant for long.

-“I’m sorey, nothing personal,” Rudo said, grinning.

  Well played, kid, well played. White Feather chuckled, smirking at the irony. The dragon proved to be a formidable adversary. He faced powerful foes in the past, from skilled warriors and cunning hunters to elusive animals and fearsome beasts, but nothing like the dragon boy.

 

  Someone mighty enough to beat him, yet naïve enough to let him live.

 

-“Hey kid! Just one last question! You saw the visions too, didn't you?!” he asked, intrigued.

  Rudo didn’t reply, only nodded in return. White Feather’s face lit with delight. I knew it! This thing is definitely something else! He could count with his fingers the number of people that acknowledged his magic for what really was, and now both she and the dragon boy were between them. He frowned. He needed to retrieve his weapons, and get even with them later if he wished his secret to remain a secret.

 

  After all, vengeance is a dish best served cold.

 

-“I hope we meet again, kid!”

  Meanwhile, Nina looked through the razed buildings, identifying the one where she and Verkan stayed last night. She quickly located their room since the stone walls still stood, and searched for their belongings under what was left of the beds. Yes! Her heart soared, relief washing over her after finding their still intact leather travel bags that survived the fire thanks to being placed under the bed’s wooden frame when the flaming roof collapsed.

  Inside her bag was an assortment of medical supplies, including a few hard-leather flasks, each with a potion for a different purpose, and a handful of ointments inside tiny wooden tubs. Her empty water skin was also inside; she would fill it before parting. But what really relieved her was finding her precious books. A pair of small codices she secretly carried cleverly disguised as the Imperial Encyclopaedia tomes. Nina knew she probably wouldn’t have the time to read them anytime soon but it was a relief that they weren’t lost.

  Verkan’s bag contained some more of the same medical supplies as hers, plus a small notebook that he used to write down relevant observations. She will look through it when there was time. His water skin was missing, however, so she would have to share her own with Rudo. Not that there was a shortage of water in the highlands or anything.

  She found Rudo finishing tying down the remaining ‘adventurers’, just in case any of them decided to give chase. Nina walked toward the well to fill her water skin, and have some final words with White Feather before parting. She felt it was her duty to give him some water to drink in case whoever came first took some time. But she also felt a sudden burst of righteous wrath. She had already spared his life but didn’t want him to go scot-free, so she slowly took her right glove off, slapping him across the face with all her pent-up feelings and might, that despite doing nothing, at least vented some of the steam out of her heart. He had it coming! -“That was for Verkan! I hope we never have to see each other again, Mage!”

 

  The mage, however, hoped the exact opposite.

 

  The pair walked down the trail passing through the remnants of the village, finally leaving said village and the mage behind, heading to the next one located several dozen miles away. It was the long path but also the safest. Nina was hesitant whether to follow the trail in the open during the day or go through the forest, through the shorter path but risking getting lost or being ambushed. At least she could trust the trail would lead them to the nearest village. Besides, she could ride on Rudo’s back in case the Northmen or the adventurers appeared.

  She decided to walk, at least for the time being, to allow Rudo to rest and save his strength for when it was really needed. She had a lot to think about anyway.

-“You decided not to kill him,” Rudo said, snapping her back to the real world.

-“Yeah, I really wanted to, but… that wouldn’t be the right thing. And… that’s not what Verkan would’ve wanted,”

-“I just hope he doesn’t bite us in the arse later,”

-“Yeah, me too! But at least we took his weapons!” she said while inspecting the larger of the spellcasters. Even if the mage managed to break free somehow, or if Lord Nero didn’t come in time, or at all, he couldn’t do much harm without his weapons. Right? So she thought it would be one less thing to worry about.

  They would need to seek refuge in the next village, at least for the time being. Hopefully, it will be protected by valiant Clan warriors, and she could seek Lord Nero’s help from there and warn him about the Nord incursion, and these so-called ‘adventurers’. Pff! Adventurers! What a way to say murderers!

  She thought about the mage’s advice. Filing a formal complaint to the Adventurer’s Guild in Dawnfall to get the bounty off her seemed like a sound plan. She could also seek the help of the local chapter of the Church, but that wouldn’t change the fact that there was someone out there, someone with power, and influence, that put a price on her.

 

  And whoever it was, it wouldn’t stop until finding her.